10 Careers That Pay Over $60K That Won’t Be Killed by AI
Written by
G. Brian Davis
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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A study by Resume Now analyzed job growth trends, salaries and O*NET’s “Innovation” measure to come up with a list of innovative jobs that pay at least $60,000 and won’t be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI) any time soon.
Some make intuitive sense. Others offer more surprise. All jobs on the list have at least 16,000 positions in the U.S. and are projected to have faster than average job growth through 2033. Read on to find careers that won’t be killed by AI and pay over $60,000.
Postsecondary Communications Teachers
- Median Salary: $79,910
- Growth Rate: 8%
College professors and other postsecondary teachers of communication skills such as persuasion and public speaking are in some ways more critical than ever. In a world where too many people lean on AI to generate speeches and marketing materials, those who have truly mastered the art of human-to-human communication can earn fortunes.
If you need further convincing, ask Tony Robbins if AI could deliver a motivational speech.
Biochemists and Biophysicists
- Median Salary: $103,650
- Growth Rate: 9%
Computing power and AI will certainly help, but at its core, biochemists and biophysicists perform innovative research.
“Sure, AI excels at analyzing large data sets,” said Kiersten Barnet, executive director at New York Jobs CEO Council. “But defining new questions for research, hypothesizing and interpreting scientific meaning requires real-world intuition and context.”
Chefs and Head Cooks
- Median Salary: $60,990
- Growth Rate: 8%
The days of ChatGPT preparing a gourmet meal for you lie far in the future. This one makes intuitive sense: only human beings can prepare creative and outstanding food for other humans.
Film and Video Editors
- Median Salary: $70,570
- Growth Rate: 3%
While AI can help with rough cuts, video editing is ultimately more art than science. No AI knows how long to hold that closeup shot for maximum poignancy — and that won’t change any time soon.
Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Median Salary: $66,050
- Growth Rate: 21%
Occupational therapists need advanced degrees, but their assistants don’t. You simply need a two-year associate’s degree and to pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam.
“This is physical, human-to-human work that requires advanced emotional intelligence and thoughtful perception,” explained Sam DeMase, career expert at ZipRecruiter.
Art Directors
- Median Salary: $111,040
- Growth Rate: 5%
Art directors guide the creative vision of a project from start to finish. These media projects could include magazines, websites, advertisements, video games and films. While AI can help generate initial ideas, they’d feel lifeless without a human’s creative touch.
Mathematicians
- Median Salary: $104,350
- Growth Rate: 11%
Yes, AI is good at math. But mathematicians do far more creative work than the average person realizes.
“Most problems in advanced mathematics require entirely new ways of thinking that go beyond existing knowledge,” Barnet said. “Creative, non-algorithmic work of discovering and proving new mathematical truths will remain a human endeavor.”
Recreational Therapists
- Median Salary: $60,280
- Growth Rate: 4%
Recreational therapists use, well, recreational activities to support therapy. Examples could include art, music, dance, even horseback riding. Like occupational therapy, it centers around human-to-human interaction and AI won’t replace these workers in the foreseeable future.
Chemical Engineers
- Median Salary: $121,860
- Growth Rate: 8%
Chemical engineering involves combining chemistry, physics and math to create real world products and processes. From developing new technologies to optimizing manufacturing processes, from safety oversight to managing production facilities, these engineers bridge the gap between science and commercial applications.
Landscape Architects
- Median Salary: $79,660
- Growth Rate: 5%
Designing outdoor spaces for people to enjoy and appreciate aesthetically is an art and one that also needs plenty of real-world implementation.
Steve Corcoran, CEO of Lawn Love, can speak to this firsthand. “There are countless factors to take into consideration — the homeowner’s goals, the local climate, the position of the sun as it moves over the house during the day, the soil, environmental threats and so much more. Human creativity is needed here and humans are also needed to execute the vision.”
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